Environmental sustainability is an increasingly supported goal in agriculture. Government agencies, NGOs, and universities continue to work on reducing the environmental impacts associated with food production, often focusing on farmer decision-making and the adoption of environmental practices. However, Dr. Stuart’s research shows that some farmers who want to adopt these practices face constrained choices.

In her talk, “Challenges to Sustainability: Constrained Choice in US Agriculture,” Dr. Stuart will use two case studies to illustrate the reality of constrained choice and how private standards created by agri-food companies can deter farmers from adopting environmental practices and even encourage the adoption of environmentally destructive practices. These examples reveal that in some cases farmers are not the ones making the decisions that result in environmental outcomes. Efforts to enhance environmental sustainability should be aware of these relationships and explore ways to include agri-food companies in the development of new policies and programs.